NEA and Opera America Announce National Opera Week: November 13-22

ANNOUNCING NATIONAL OPERA WEEK

November 13 – 22, 2009

Opera has become such a vital part of the American musical fabric that over 90 organizations from Alaska to Texas, New York and Los Angeles, and everywhere in-between (32 states to be exact), will be participating in and celebrating the first ever NATIONAL OPERA WEEK from November 13-22, 2009. National Opera Week is organized by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts.

NATIONAL OPERA WEEK will officially be launched with the presentation of the 2009 NEA Opera Honors to Marilyn Horne, John Adams, Frank Corsaro, Lotfi Mansouri and Julius Rudel on November 14 at the Harman Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Locally, the Florentine Opera will participate in commemorating National Opera Week, putting Milwaukee in the company of over 90 other opera companies representing 32 states and the District of Columbia. These opera companies will offer a range of free programs for the public that demonstrate the allure and accessibility of this most multi-media of the arts and will be accessible to both opera lovers and newcomers to the art form. These events, showcasing the strength and diversity of established companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs, will range from open houses, lectures/demonstrations and community performances to the presentation of the nation’s highest award in the field, the NEA Opera Honors. National Opera Week has been created to bring the inventiveness and excitement of opera to a broader national audience (see attachment for examples).

Florentine Opera National Opera Week celebration events include free pre-opera talks offered before each performance of Tosca, presented November 20-22 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. "The Florentine Opera is thrilled to be in such good company with 92 other participating organizations, and to be able to celebrate opera on a national scale as we open the first production of our 2009-2010 season," stated William Florescu, the Florentine Opera Company's General Director.

Other noteworthy events of National Opera Week include in New York City the fifth annual Opera News Awards on November 19; the November 22 annual Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala, showcasing some of today’s most promising young singers; the New York City Opera dedicating all performances from November 14-22 to National Opera Week, with special tributes to Julius Rudel and Frank Corsaro; and the Metropolitan Opera providing special free access to Met performances available on Met Player, the company’s new online streaming service, during National Opera Week.